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Apple of iProduct fame has acquired PrimeSense, the Israeli firm behind the 3D sensing tech in the original Kinect for Xbox 360. No official price tag was put on the purchase, but rumors of the acquisition last week speculate a cost of $345 million.

"Apple buys smaller technology companies from time to time, and we generally do not discuss our purpose or plans," said Apple to the BBC.

PrimeSense noted the acquisition to Engadget in a brief statement, "We can confirm the deal with Apple. Further than that, we cannot comment at this stage."

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ApplemicrosoftPrimeSensexbox-oneMon, 25 Nov 2013 10:30:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2013/11/18/report-apple-in-talks-to-purchase-co-creators-of-original-kinec/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/11/18/report-apple-in-talks-to-purchase-co-creators-of-original-kinec/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/11/18/report-apple-in-talks-to-purchase-co-creators-of-original-kinec/#comments
Apple is currently in talks to purchase PrimeSense, the original suppliers of Microsoft's Kinect motion-sensing technology, according to All Things D. The acquisition was first reported by Isreali publication Calcalist, which indicated that the purchase will amount to $345 million.

Founded in 2005, PrimeSense contributed its 3D sensing technology to the Xbox 360 version of Kinect. Microsoft since went with in-house developers for the latest iteration of the Kinect for Xbox One, the company's latest console set to launch this Friday. Apple may be allegedly targeting PrimeSense for the company's Capri technology, a newer form of its 3D sensing tech used in mobile devices such as Google and Samsung's Nexus 10 tablets.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>3d-sensingacquisitionappleiosipadiphonekinectmobilemotion-sensingPrimeSensexboxMon, 18 Nov 2013 19:00:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2011/01/03/kinect-hacks-real-time-fake-x-ray/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/01/03/kinect-hacks-real-time-fake-x-ray/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/01/03/kinect-hacks-real-time-fake-x-ray/#comments
X-ray glasses are so 2010. We present for your consideration this Kinect hack from Technical University of Munich researchers, led by one Tobias Blum, who have created a "magic mirror" that lets you see your own skeleton.

Okay, so it's not actually your skeleton, but data from some anonymous patient's CT scan, being mapped to your movements to create the spine-tingling effect. Still, make no bones about it: this is one of the more impressive Kinect hacks we've seen to date.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>hackskinectkinect-hacksmicrosoftpcPrimeSensetechnical-university-of-munichtobias-blumx-rayxboxMon, 03 Jan 2011 16:30:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2011/01/03/primesense-and-asus-announce-kinect-style-device-for-living-room/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/01/03/primesense-and-asus-announce-kinect-style-device-for-living-room/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/01/03/primesense-and-asus-announce-kinect-style-device-for-living-room/#commentsPrimeSense, the company that created the motion-sensing technology for Kinect, has teamed up with Asus to create a new controller-free interaction device -- this time for PC. The WAVI Xtion device is designed to enable gesture control of media center PCs in living rooms. It's similar to Kinect in a few ways, but focused on the multimedia control features instead of the game stuff.

There might still be games and other assorted programs: sometime after the Q2 launch, Asus will open an "Xtion Online Store" through which developers can sell apps designed in the Xtion PRO platform. The PRO development technology will be released in February. The WAVI Xtion device itself will be unveiled during CES, which runs from January 6 to 9.

Update: PrimeSense issued a correction regarding the linked press release. The line "The WAVI Xtion media center for the PC leverages ultra-wide band wireless link and PrimeSense 3D sensing solution to provide controller-free interaction experiences in the living room" should read "The WAVI Xtion media center for the PC leverages wireless HDMI technology and PrimeSense 3D motion sensor technology to provide controller-free experiences in the living room."

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>asuskinectmotion-controlpcprimesensewavi-xtionxtionMon, 03 Jan 2011 10:45:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2010/12/17/primesenses-tamir-berliner-on-the-future-of-natural-interaction/http://www.joystiq.com/2010/12/17/primesenses-tamir-berliner-on-the-future-of-natural-interaction/http://www.joystiq.com/2010/12/17/primesenses-tamir-berliner-on-the-future-of-natural-interaction/#comments
Many gamers might not know it, but 2010 has been a big year for PrimeSense, and it's thanks to Kinect. The depth sensor might be a Microsoft product, but there's plenty of PrimeSense tech inside making it tick. As a company devoted to natural interaction (NI) interfaces, it must be pretty gratifying to see one of the first major NI devices selling over 2 million units in its first month of availability.

Kinect, however, is just the beginning for PrimeSense. Earlier this month, the company helped found OpenNI, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to promoting "the compatibility and interoperability of Natural Interaction (NI) devices, applications and middleware." So far, the organization has released the OpenNI Framework, including open source drivers and skeleton tracking middleware for NI devices. Although the software was created to support PrimeSense's own 3D sensor development kit, the community quickly (and unsurprisingly) adapted it to work with Kinect as well.

We recently spoke with PrimeSense's Tamir Berliner about the creation of OpenNI. As might be expected, he foresees a bright future for natural interaction.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>macmicrosoftnatural-interactionniopennipcprimesensexboxFri, 17 Dec 2010 15:00:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2010/12/10/primesense-releases-open-source-drivers-middleware-for-kinect/http://www.joystiq.com/2010/12/10/primesense-releases-open-source-drivers-middleware-for-kinect/http://www.joystiq.com/2010/12/10/primesense-releases-open-source-drivers-middleware-for-kinect/#comments
The global hacking community has already done an admirable job of exploiting the technology inside Kinect, but now would-be motion control designers can get the tech straight from the source. PrimeSense, the company that created the motion-sensing tech inside each Kinect, has released open source drivers that will work either with Kinect or its own dev kit, which Develop notes is "smaller and lighter" than a Kinect unit.

PrimeSense has partnered with two other companies to create OpenNI, a not-for-profit organization set up to "promote the compatibility and interoperability of Natural Interaction (NI) devices, applications and middleware." The drivers are available on the OpenNI website, as is the NITE motion tracking middleware. OpenNI binaries are available for both Windows and Ubuntu.

With some pretty amazing Kinect projects already out there, we can't wait to see what comes of this officially backed software release. Check out a quick demonstration of the software's skeleton tracking capabilities after the break.

PrimeSense was at E3 this week showing off the raw technology that it licensed to Microsoft for what officially became Kinect this past Monday. The company developed the method and core software that Microsoft's forthcoming camera/controller uses to read human bodies and gestures, and had it running on a prototype unit live in the booth.

Unfortunately, company reps weren't able to comment on specifics of the licensing deal, and were very quick to point out that much of what has been done so far with Kinect is Microsoft's own software -- PrimeSense only provides the raw tech behind the visual gesture system, not any of the menus or games that are actually appearing on Kinect. But they were able to explain the core technology to me, and shine a little light, so to speak, on what Kinect is capable of.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>developere3e3-2010kinectmicrosoftprimesenseproject-natalxboxSat, 19 Jun 2010 18:30:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2010/03/31/primesense-3d-sensing-technology-licensed-for-project-natal/http://www.joystiq.com/2010/03/31/primesense-3d-sensing-technology-licensed-for-project-natal/http://www.joystiq.com/2010/03/31/primesense-3d-sensing-technology-licensed-for-project-natal/#comments In February of 2009, it was revealed that Microsoft had purchased a 3D motion-sensing camera company called 3DV. In June, the company showed off Project Natal, leading most to assume the two were connected, though Microsoft countered, saying "we built [Natal] in house." That brings us to today, as (a company you probably haven't heard of) PrimeSense has announced that its 3D motion-sensing tech is being utilized for Project Natal.

"Xbox 360 Hardware Engineering teams developed the 'Project Natal' sensor based on the PrimeSensor reference design to support the special requirements of Project Natal," said Aviad Maizels, PrimeSense president and founder.

What we don't know at the moment is just how much Microsoft's baby relies on PrimeSense. As you can see in the video after the jump (which had to have been directed by Tommy Wiseau) and in Engadget's demonstration, the company's focus has been on gesture control for UI navigation, so it's possible PrimeSense could just be supplying a way for users to interact with the Xbox Dashboard and Guide with motion commands. We'll let you know what we can find out.

Update: Microsoft's product manager for Xbox 360 and Xbox Live, Aaron Greenberg, dropped us a line to further explain the Microsoft-PrimeSense partnership where Project Natal is concerned. "Regarding your question, this was primarily a hardware partner announce," Greenberg said. "Bottom line, we've worked closely with PrimeSense to design the best 3D-sensing technology component for 'Project Natal.' Microsoft is fully responsible for the design and development of the 'Project Natal' sensor, including its depth sensor, RGB camera, multi-array microphone and software."

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>3dvmicrosoftprimesenseproject-natalXbox-360Wed, 31 Mar 2010 11:45:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2006/08/15/ps3s-eye-toy-to-incorporate-3-d-mapping/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/08/15/ps3s-eye-toy-to-incorporate-3-d-mapping/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/08/15/ps3s-eye-toy-to-incorporate-3-d-mapping/#commentsThe Israeli company Prime Sense has been connected to Sony's upgraded EyeToy, boasting a new sensor and digital processor that provides real-time 3-D mapping. It essentially "perceives the world in 3D and derives an understanding of the world based on sight, in the same way that humans do." That's neat. You can read more about the link between Sony and Prime Sense at EETimes.

The article goes on to explain how the EyeToy would see the user and the user can interact with things in the game without having to wear any equipment (pronounced: no Wiimote). Wouldn't it be neat to play a boxing game where your movements are monitored (juking and dodging) and you can physically (well, almost) punch your digital opposition? It's been kind of done at arcades -- you did have to wear sensor gloves, though. But the lack of equipment and using just a camera isn't all that great. The Wii does have a controller so you've got a little bit to work with. Which would you prefer: the Wii with a controller, or the EyeToy technology relying on a super-smart camera?